WVC 8-10-1
PART I. MAYOR.§8-10-1. Powers and duties of mayor.
When not otherwise provided by charter provision or general
law, the mayor of every municipality shall be the chief executive
officer of such municipality, shall have the powers and authority
granted in this section, and shall see that the ordinances, orders,
bylaws, acts, resolutions, rules and regulations of the governing
body thereof are faithfully executed. He shall have jurisdiction
to hear and determine any and all alleged violations thereof and to
convict and sentence persons therefor. He shall also, until the
first day of January, one thousand nine hundred seventy-seven, be
ex officio a justice and conservator of the peace within the
municipality, and shall, within the same, have and exercise all of
the powers, both civil and criminal, and perform all duties vested
by law in a justice of the peace, except that he shall have no
jurisdiction in civil cases or causes of action arising without the
corporate limits of the municipality. He shall have, until the
first day of January, one thousand nine hundred seventy-seven, the
same power to issue attachments in civil suits as a justice of his
county has, though the cause of action arose without the corporate
limits of his municipality, but he shall have no power to try the
same and such attachments shall be returnable and be heard before
some justice of his county. Upon complaint he shall have authority
to issue a search warrant in connection with the violation of a
municipal ordinance. Any search warrant, warrant of arrest or other process issued by him may be directed to the chief of police
or any member of the police department or force of the
municipality, and the same may be executed at any place within the
county or counties in which the municipality is located. He shall
have control of the police of the municipality and may appoint
special police officers whenever he deems it necessary, except when
otherwise provided by law, and subject to the police civil service
provisions of article fourteen of this chapter if such civil
service provisions are applicable to his municipality, and it shall
be his duty especially to see that the peace and good order of the
municipality are preserved, and that persons and property therein
are protected; and to this end he may cause the arrest and
detention of all riotous and disorderly individuals in the
municipality before issuing his warrant therefor. He shall have
power to issue executions for all fines, penalties and costs
imposed by him, or he may require the immediate payment thereof,
and in default of such payment, he may commit the party in default
to the jail of the county or counties in which such municipality is
located, or other place of imprisonment within the corporate limits
of such municipality, if there be one, until the fine or penalty
and costs shall be paid, but the term of imprisonment in such case
shall not exceed thirty days. He shall, from time to time,
recommend to the governing body such measures as he may deem
needful for the welfare of the municipality. The expense of
maintaining any individual committed to a county jail by him, except it be to answer an indictment, or, until the first day of
January, one thousand nine hundred seventy-seven, be under the
provisions of sections eight and nine, article eighteen, chapter
fifty of this code, shall be paid by the municipality and taxed as
part of the costs of the proceeding.

Note: WV Code updated with legislation passed through the 2014 1st Special Session
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